Detachment and Devotion: Navigating Ramadan
And just like that, Ramadan has returned, Alhamdulillah! This season of the year is a highly anticipated one, and oftentimes we are busy planning out our meals, iftars, kids' activities…the list goes on and on. However, it’s important to take a moment to press pause on the day-to-day chaos and remember how extremely significant every day and each phase of Ramadan is for our spiritual progress - yes, even the first ten!
I’ll be the first to say that the first week of fasting tends to be my grace period. It’s the adjustment window, and it’s okay to take it slow. But that doesn’t mean it’s okay to be complacent! As we physically adjust to fasting, it’s the perfect opportunity to ponder on our goals. As we begin our individual journeys this Ramadan, let’s ask ourselves a few questions to reflect on as we enter the holy month:
What is my life dedicated towards?
What has my life been centered around these last 11 months? (be honest with yourself)
Am I attached to someone or something other than Allah?
If we spend the time to answer truthfully, many of us would find that over the course of the year we may have grown distant from Allah SWT. Ramadan is the perfect time to recenter ourselves, so let’s take this moment to make it our goal to experience detachment from the things keeping us from our greatest potential.
Although we will be quite literally detaching ourselves through our physical fasts, let’s take ourselves through that same journey mentally and spiritually as well. We can aim to train our hearts to make Allah SWT the center of our compass - not our children, not our spouse, not our career or our wealth. This doesn’t mean we abandon everything, but rather we learn to love these things through Allah SWT. Detach and re-navigate.
It's definitely a big ask, but the month of Ramadan is the chance to return to Allah SWT and to transcend spiritually and morally.
“Whoever fasts Ramadan out of faith and in the hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.” (Bukhari)
The best way to start stripping ourselves of the attachments in the world is by seeking Allah SWT’s Forgiveness and Mercy.
“O! My Lord forgive and have Mercy and You are the Best of Merciful.” (23:118, Quran)
We have the opportunity to ask for it on our prayer mats from the Most Merciful Lord, in the best of months. We also have a chance to practice being merciful to others as well, reaping countless rewards in the process. A great way to do so is through charity, one of the acts that Allah SWT loves the most! Spend time committing yourself to a good cause for the month of Ramadan, and consider doing so with Sakeenah. You can visit our Ramadan Page to learn more.
We hope this blog helped provide a few thoughtful pointers as we start Ramadan, and we pray for a successful and fulfilling month ahead, Inshallah and Ameen!
Saima Zaidi - Social Media & Content Coordinator at Sakeenah Canada. I love to write and create content that prompts deep thinking. My beige flag is that I eat pizza backwards, crust first.
About Sakeenah
Sakeenah Canada, a national charitable organization, was founded in 2018 in response to a gap in culturally and religiously sensitive services available for women and children facing domestic violence and homelessness. Since then, our services have expanded to include mental health therapy and counseling. Sakeenah has also started The People’s Market, a food program that helps combat food insecurity, and has become the first licensed foster care agency for Muslim children in all of North America. We currently operate 8 transitional homes across Canada: Toronto, Brampton, Milton, London, Montreal, Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Regina, in addition to the first long-term housing program for Muslim women and children in Canada, in Windsor.
